Ashton's Choice
by Spekkio
Summary: Gasp of Horror! Ashton Sacrificed the Dragons?! A/U fic! R


  
"Well Ashton," the voice began, "we now have the "Silver Goblet" and the "Tears of the King". Now all we need is for you to chant the words of the pledge, Ashton."   
"Uh...yes," the shaky voice responded. "We shall now perform the ceremony of purification with my accursed body in front..." He moved to the front of the four warriors, nervously. "Here it is," he thought. "The big moment. All the hard battles and the hard times, to pay for this. My luck has finally turned around! Yes!"   
"AWROOOOOO!" The brown haired man jumped back a bit at the sound of the blue serphent's howl. It had been about two weeks since he had been possessed by the dragon, and it was now time to be gone of it.  
"Urunrun!" a prissy, aristocratic voice piped in. The blue dragon settled down warily, still nervous of what was going on around it.   
The heraldic fencer took something out of his satchel. A beautiful silver goblet, shining despite its eon-long rest in the Mountain Palace. In it lie the watery substance shed by XINE. His tears. Ashton swallowed forcibly. He wouldn't back away. Not now. He spent too much time and effort for the sole purpose of getting rid of them. He placed the Book of Exorcism onto the floor and looked at it. Raising the cup in his hands, he began the chant inscribed within the tome. "Let my body receive the light of purity to drive the evil curse away..."  
"AWRK WURK URK!" Ashton jerked to the side, almost dropping the goblet. The red dragon, Gyoro, was flaying with pain. "Oh my God!" Ashton realized. "They're dying! I can't believe this! I'm killing them! No matter.......I......must......go on. I was hired to kill them in the first place. I'll just have to.....finish the job!"  
"Gyoro!" Crawd's voice once again rang out. The red serphent quickly settled down, yet like Urunrun, he was paralyzed with fear.  
"This is it," Ashton thought. "Its time to be gone of this curse." He hurried out the rest of the chant. "Oh god of purification, I pledge to thee and ask you to purify my accursed body with pure holy water..." Saying that, he poured the Tears of the King, the tears of XINE, onto his head. It felt cleansing spiritually, yet emotionally, it burned.   
"AWWRK URK URK URK!"  
"AWROOOOOO!" The dragons howled out in torment.   
"DAMNIT!" Ashton's mind raged. "They're dying! I can't do it. I should drop the goblet and forget about it. JUST DROP IT! DROP IT AND LET THEM LIVE!"  
"Gyoro!" Crawd called out.  
"Gyoro!" Rena pleaded.  
"Urunrun!" yelled Celine.  
"Exorcise this beast, AND SEND IT TO THE NOTHINGNESS OF THE AFTERLIFE!" Having finished the chant, Ashton fell to his knees. The dragons yelled out in torment, screaming, howling, and the next instant, they were gone.  
"Noooooooo Gyoro and Urunrun!" Rena called out tearfully. Crawd was silent.  
"I.....I.....I..." Ashton was speechless. "I'm sorry everyone. Its just.........." They stood there. For minutes.....maybe hours, amazed at what had just happened. Ashton just looked at the ground, ashamed to let his face be seen after what he had just done. Digging his fingers into the ground, he scratched the dusty ground, slowly taking his anger and grief out on the cave floor. Rena broke the silence.  
"......We'd better go." Ashton sensed something wrong with her. Sadness in her eyes, and in her voice. Of all the people he could have hurt, Rena would be the last.  
"...yes. Come on Celine. Ashton..." Crawd rose, slowly walking out of the cavern. Rena followed close behind, and Celine thereafter. It took a few minutes for Ashton to pull himself together and follow them as well.  
  
Ashton ran. He ran until his legs couldn't carry him anymore. Across fields, through forests, over mountains. He ran until his lungs collapsed. He ran until he was miles away from his friends. Ashton collapsed on the ground, his thoughts racing. Gyoro......Urunrun. Dead. Why? I had to leave. I don't trust myself. I can't hurt anyone anymore. I can't hurt Celine, Crawd, or......Rena.   
He took a few moments to think about Rena. Her eyes, her hair....and her smile. Ashton pushed the thoughts away. She loved Crawd, and Crawd loved her. He saw it the way they looked at each other. That's why it would never work. They had only known each other for a few days, yet his feeling had grown strong for her. Only he knew.....he knew he would hurt her eventually. Like how he hurt his parents....and how he hurt his friends. Gyoro and Urunrun.  
He missed them. He missed their constant squabbling. He missed how they seemed to understand him, and his feelings. He even missed the way they made him sleep on his stomach. They had established a bond. Deeper than Blood. Yet Ashton brought an end to all of that. He took the goblet out of his satchel, and looked at it. Shining brilliantly, encrested with rubies, regardless of its age. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to look at it. He raised it up into the air, and brought it down, with a deafening blow. Beating it, over and over again, he tried to destroy it. But to no avail. Artifacts like that could never be destroyed. Even when he took out his sword and threw a few slices at it. As if it would bring them back.  
Ashton fell back onto the ground, and pocketed the goblet again. He didn't know why. He hated it. He hated XINE and he hated himself. He put his hands on his chest, tears streaming down his face. He felt something. His Mithril pendant. His good luck charm. He patted it down. His last memory of his parents. Ashton wept. He didn't care if anyone saw it. He wept and wept until the moon was high above him, and then below him. After exerting all of his energy, he fell back, exhausted. His slight snores filled the area. He would make it up to them. He would help his friends. Unlike how he helped the dragons. He slept, even through the noonday.  
  
To Be Continued....  



End file.
